


Perfect North

by GhostCwtch



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, M/M, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Available, Pre-Slash, Skiing, Skiing AU, Steve is a mountain man, Traumatic Injury, knee injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 00:53:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1246588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostCwtch/pseuds/GhostCwtch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony had thought that this technical conference was going to be boring but a late night ski run puts his life in jeopardy. Luckily, a kind stranger and his dog are there to help.</p><p>Now with Podfic available!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThePeak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePeak/gifts).



> I wanted Tony whump and skiing and Steve being a mountain man who lives in a cabin with his big fluffy dog. So that's what I wrote.

 

Tony lay on his back staring up into the endless blue of the sky. Tall pines stretched up along either side of the trail and the wind howled through their branches, the bark creaking in the cold. A bank of dark grey clouds was just beginning to encroach on the edges of his view of the skyline.

 

Tony Stark was going to die here. Alone and cold and in pain.

 

It was his own fault. He'd seen the weather channel and knew that conditions were right and the meteorologists were all predicting a full on winter storm. He had seen the radar, and the swirl of deep red that was heading closer to the ski lodge that the science conference was being held in. He'd been the one to tell Pepper he was turning in for the night, instead of the truth. That he was going for one more run on the mountain before it got too dark. Before the storm hit.

 

Tony was good at skiing. He'd been on his first ski trip when he was barely walking, held up between his mother's skis as they made their way down the gentle crest of the beginner's slope. But the run he'd tried today had turned unexpectedly icy and he'd lost control just long enough to wind up here, flat on his back and injured with a storm on the way.

 

The pain in his right knee was excruciating. One of his skis had caught awkwardly, cracking through the thick crust of ice as he fell and sticking there even as his body continued forward. His ankle had been protected in the thick shell of the boot, but that had only provided more of an anchor for the torque to tear at his vulnerable knee. The ski had only fallen free of the ice once the damage had been done and now Tony couldn't even get the leverage to pop it free of his boot.

 

The first flakes of snow began to fall.

 

* * * * *

 

Bucky whined and scratched at the door. Steve gave him a considering look before sighing and beginning to put on his thermal gear. It wasn't often that his dog acted like this, especially right before a big storm. The lazy beast loved nothing more than to slump across the rug by the fire and sleep through the howling gales that buffeted Steve's cabin through the winter months. Years of experience told him that when Buck acted like this, it meant that he could sense someone out there in the snow.

 

Someone in need of help.

 

Making sure he had his heavy duty GPS in it's special water proof casing, just in case he didn't make it back to the cabin before the storm broke, Steve sighed and opened the door. Bucky was out like a shot, standing next to his harness and gear impatiently. He had a specialized light weight sled that was just enough to haul an unfortunate traveller back to their humble home on, and a bright red harness that Steve made sure to keep in tip top shape.

 

He hoped they wouldn't need it this time, that it would just be someone who got lost trying to take an unfamiliar trail. It would be a surprise, but that didn't mean that Steve couldn't hope.

 

Harnessing Bucky was the work of a moment and they set off. The first touch of snow on his cheek made Steve frown. They'd be cutting it close this time, no matter how close this person was. Even with the reassurance of Bucky's presence and all of Steve's experience in dealing with this type of weather, he knew that a true winter storm wasn't anything to be taken lightly. He picked up the pace a bit and beside him Bucky fell into a trot, leading the way.

 

* * * * *

 

Tony had grown restless, waiting for death. It went completely against his nature to just lie there and take what ever crap the world was trying to throw at him and he was a genius, damn it. There was no way a little snow was going to take out the legendary Tony Stark. No way, no how.

 

He'd rifled through all the pockets in his parka and his ski pants. The sum total of his resources included a watch, some chap stick, a cell phone with a dead battery and a slew of credit cards. The chap stick was a godsend and he spared no time in liberally smearing not only on his lips, but also around the tender skin near his nose. The relief from that small discomfort was a blessing, even as it freed up more of his mind to focus on the throbbing pain from his knee. On the plus side, he supposed, you were supposed to ice an injury and laying in the snow was definitely handling that aspect of first aid.

 

Of course, getting hypothermia out here in the middle of no where would probably negate any side benefits.

 

Just as he was trying to figure out if there was a way to use the watch to get a charge going on the cell phone, he heard a steadily approaching sound. Straining his ears, and twisting as best he could towards it, Tony thought it sounded like, like footsteps. It was impossible, that someone would just happen to be on some sort of crazy person hike out here with the storm approaching, but at this point Tony would take whatever kind of hill billy wild mountain man that emerged from the trees.  So long as it got him off this mountain and into some kind of shelter.

 

And hey, if they killed him to eat him like the cannibals his over active imagination said that they might be, well at least his leg wouldn't hurt anymore.

 

“Hey! Hey over here! Help!” Tony's voice was weak, and he hadn't really noticed how cold he was until now. “Over here!”

 

The steps sped up and he could hear a slight swish as well. He twisted more, gasping as it sent a stabbing pain through him but unwilling to look away as the figure of a man resolved itself from the trees, a huge white dog padding along beside him, black lips spread in a wide doggy grin.

 

“Oh thank god.” Tony wheezed.

 

“Where are you hurt?” was the first question his rescuer asked, crouching down beside Tony as his dog gave the billionaire a quick sniff.

 

“My right knee. Ski caught in the ice when I fell and I can't get at it to pop it off. Even if I could, I don't think that it would take my weight.”

 

“I'm going to take a look at it. It might be easier to try and get the boot off completely. Either way, from the look of things, this is going to hurt. I'm sorry but with the storm coming in I'm going to have to go for speed over comfort.”

 

Tony sighed, nodding and trying to brace himself. He felt a hand on his calf muscle for a moment before his rescuer tried to adjust his lower leg to pop the ski free and Tony couldn't contain a choked off scream. There was a rushing sound in his ears and the distant sound of a litany of apologies as Tony's over taxed system gave in and he passed out.

 

* * * * *

 

It was a relief when the other man fell into unconsciousness. Steve had been trying to avoid causing too much pain but the wrenched position of the man's right knee told him right away that it was going to be impossible. Best to just try and get it over quickly and carefully, and then get all three of them to the safety of his cabin.

 

With the man unconscious, Steve quickly popped the ski free. The jolt got a whine from the man, but he didn't wake. He whistled Bucky over and began the careful process of getting the injured man on the sled. From the loose way the injured leg felt as Steve positioned it before carefully strapping the man in, he was guessing at least a severe sprain, if not a full tear of one of the ligaments. He had a pretty extensive first aid kit and hoped it would be enough to tide them through the storm until proper medical help could be found.

 

Snow was falling faster, the skies darkening with every step towards home. They'd make it back before it really got going, but only just. Steve's breath fogged in front of him as he went as quickly as he could. The last thing they needed was to get caught out, especially after this man had been lying there injured for who knows how long.

 

The light of the cabin was just visible as the wind began to pick up. Steve jogged the last of the distance before hauling the entire sled first up onto the porch and then into the little foyer area of the cabin. There was barely enough room for it, especially with Bucky still harnessed to it, but the conditions outside were worsening quickly and Steve didn't want to risk any of them. The solid wood of the door between him and the weather, with the snow on his clothes quickly melting in the warmth of home, was exactly how he liked it.

 

He tended to Bucky first. Checking paw pads for ice and cuts, making sure to give plenty of praise for a job well done, and the treat of some canned food had Bucky's tail wagging a mile a minute. His dog taken care of, Steve stripped out of his outer gear, hanging it on pegs to dry out, before turning to his unexpected house guest. The man hadn't shown any signs of waking and while it did make Steve's job easier, it was also a bit worrying.

 

With the knee in the condition it was in, Steve didn't want to try and lay the other man on the couch in case he fell off at some point. He hauled a futon mattress out of a storage chest and laid a flat sheet over it. Leaving the chest with its supply of bedding for a moment, he returned to his guest and began the awkward task of getting the snow encrusted clothes off without causing further damage to the already injured man. Bucky, with his job done, flopped down beside the futon, staring at Steve as if to ask 'what's taking so long?'

 

After he managed to settle the man onto the make shift bed by the fire, covered in several layers of warm blankets and a down comforter for good measure, Steve turned his attention to discovering a little more about his guest. There wasn't much to go on, just a fancy watch, a dead cell phone and some credit cards. The cell phone, he plugged in to a wall charger. It would be good to let someone know that Anthony Stark, if the credit cards were to be believed, was alive, if not entirely well.

 

The name sounded familiar to Steve. He'd definitely heard the name Stark before, everyone had heard of Stark Industries. He thought the head of the company had a name beginning with T, but he didn't really keep up with the gossip columns and most of the technology Stark Industries produced was beyond anything that Steve would ever need anyways. Give him a sturdy GPS and a cell phone that could get reception in his little cabin in the woods and that's all he really asked for. None of this touch screen, voice activated tech for him, thanks very much.

 

Though, he mused, as the light from the fire flickered over Anthony's face, if the head of Stark Industries was any where near as attractive as this, Steve could understand the appeal.

 

* * * * *

 

Tony wasn't dead. That was a surprise. What he was, was warm and comfortable and...and being breathed on? Cracking an eye open, he let out a muffled squeak at the large snout that was barely an inch away from his face. Tracing it with his eyes, he met with a warm brown gaze, surrounded by a ruff of with fur. What was this thing? Some sort of strange wolf-polar bear hybrid?

 

“Come on, Buck. Leave our guest alone and come eat your breakfast.”

 

The polar bear thing looked up and gave a happy doggy grin at the sound of the voice, bounding over Tony easily when the magic word “breakfast” was mentioned. Tony turned his head to follow it and got his first real look at his rescuer. The other man was tall, with broad muscular shoulders and golden blonde hair. When he looked up to find Tony watching him, he gave a shy smile, and his eyes were as blue as the sky had been yesterday before the storm.

 

“Hey, you're awake. How're you feeling?”

 

Tony opened his mouth, only to let out a harsh cough. When he tried to sit up, the blaze of agony in his knee was more than enough to knock him back down to the pillows, leaving him stunned and gasping. His rescuer rushed over and carefully slid and arm under Tony's shoulder's, lifting him just enough to help relieve the coughing fit, but not so far as to jolt his leg again.

 

“Thanks,” Tony wheezed once he got himself back under control. The other man helped him to sit up cautiously, piling pillows up to form a support for Tony to lean on.

 

“Are you okay? I mean, other than the knee. I'm guessing you've torn your ACL, but it's hard to say if it's all the way or not. I'm no expert, but until the storm lets up I'm the best option you've got and I do have some experience in dealing with these kind of injuries.”

 

Tony tried to summon up his usual grin but had the feeling that it fell flat. “Well at least I'm out of the snow, right?”

 

“Yeah, Bucky has a pretty good sense for when people are in trouble on the mountain. He's the one that really found you, isn't that right, Buck?” The dog stared adoringly upwards and wagged his tail.

 

“I'll have to donate to some sort of animal rescue or something once I'm back in civilization. You got a name, or should I just address all questions to the dog?”

 

His rescuer blushed, “Oh gosh, sorry. I'm not usually so rude to guests. My name is Steve Rogers.”

 

“Well, Steve, nice to meet you, though it could have been under better circumstances. I'm Tony.”

 

“Oh, all the credit cards say Anthony.”

 

Tony winced. “Yeah, well. Only my mother called me Anthony and even then, only when I was in deep trouble.”

 

Steve laughed and it warmed Tony more than the heat from the fire. Which was not good. He was in no shape to be entertaining any kind of crush, especially on someone he'd only just met and who talked to his dog like it was a person. Obviously, the potential for crazy was there and Tony did not need that in his life. Nope. No matter how adorable Steve was when he smiled. No, Tony was cutting that thought off right there. Immediately.

 

Luckily, a familiar beeping cut off that particular train of thought before Tony really lost it. He peered around, looking for his phone. “I thought the battery on my cell was dead.”

 

“It was, but you know Starktech. It's all got compatible chargers. I don't have anything near as new as this model, but since they keep the same connector for the chargers I was able to use mine.” As he spoke, Steve was unplugging it and bringing it over from the kitchen area. Tony made grabby hands and cooed over his phone like the precious baby it was as soon as it had returned to its rightful place in his hands.

 

Okay, so maybe he didn't have any room to be mocking Steve for talking to his dog.

 

“I was going to try and call someone to let them know that you're alright and that as soon as the storm lets up you're going to need someone to have a look at that knee but, uh,” Steve reached up and scrubbed a hand through the hair and the nape of his neck, “I couldn't figure out how to unlock it. You should probably call and let them know you're alright, since you were gone all night. And then after that, I'm going to need to take a look at your knee and maybe get some ice on it for a bit to try and help with the swelling.”

 

Tony grimaced. That was just a litany of not fun things that he very much did not want to do. Pepper was probably borderline hysterical at this point. Even if she had thought he'd gone off with some ski bunny to have a little play time, they'd had definite plans to meet for breakfast before the next round of lectures kicked off. And damn, he was going to miss some of the talks he'd specifically come up here to mock. Plus the whole medical issue. Tony did not like doctors and doctors did not like Tony.

 

With a heavy sigh, Tony unlocked his phone and, ignoring the little notifications of waiting texts and voicemail messages, called Pepper. She picked up before the first ring had a chance to finish.

 

“Tony?! Where are you? Are you okay?”

 

“Hey Pep. Sorry, but uh, yeah, I maybe went out for another ski run and now I'm in some cabin with a guy named Steve and his dog and they maybe found me after a tiny little crash.”

 

There was an ominous silence. “Tony. Let me talk to Steve.”

 

“What? No. You don't even know Steve, why do you want to talk to him?”

 

“Because, you're only going to lie to me about how hurt you are. Now give the phone to Steve before I tell the press that Stark Industries is thinking of collaborating with Oscorp.”

 

Tony gasped, genuinely appalled. “You play dirty, Pep. Very, low down dirty and I don't approve at all.” He glanced up to find Steve looking amused and glowered. Everyone was against him today and it just wasn't fair. Holding out the phone, he pouted. “She wants to talk to you.”

 

Trying and failing to conceal a smile, Steve accepted the phone, which looked incredibly delicate cradled in his large hand. “Hello? This is Steve Rogers.”

 

“Hello, Steve. My name is Pepper. I need you to tell me if Tony is actually okay. If I ask him, he's just going to say that he's fine, nothing to worry about and then babble on about the lectures he's missing in a hope of distracting me. Normally, I'd let him, but I've spent the last few hours in a panic when no one knew where he was and I just don't have the patience for that this morning.”

 

Steve chuckled and pretended not to notice as Tony's pout deepened, arms folding over his chest and lower lip jutting out. “He hurt his knee pretty badly in the fall, you're definitely going to want to have it looked at by an orthopedic surgeon as soon as possible. I've got some experience with this type of injury, so I can apply some basic first aid to keep the swelling down to a minimum but he really is going to need to see a doctor. I'm guessing he's got at least a partial tear to his ACL, but it's possible that it's more serious than that.”

 

Pepper sucked in a breath that was audible across the line. “He's not going to be happy about that. Tony hates going to the doctor at the best of times.”

 

“I'll see what I can do to convince him.” Steve replied.

 

Pepper gave a breathy chuckle. “Better you than me. Could you please pass the phone back to Tony?”

 

“Sure thing. Nice talking to you.”

 

“And you.”

 

Steve held the phone out, and for a moment he wasn't sure if Tony would actually take it. He was just about to waggle it in front of the other man's face when it was snatched from his hand. Steve shook his head and stepped over to the kitchen area to get some human breakfast going, Bucky trailing optimistically behind him.

 

“Are you done talking about me behind my back, you viper woman?”

 

Pepper sighed. “Tony, I know you're hurt right now, and that is all that is keeping me from ripping you a new one over just how much of an idiot you have to be to go skiing alone, without telling anyone what you were planning on doing, right before a storm. If Steve hadn't found you, you probably would have died out there, Tony. There was over a foot and a half of snowfall last night and it's still coming down. With the wind gusts and the low visibility, even if we had known where to look we might not have found you in time. So I'm not in the mood for any of your usual crap, okay?” Her voice was choked with suppressed tears. “When you get back down here, you're seeing a doctor and you're going to tell Steve thank you for saving your stupid ass.”

 

“Okay, Pep, take a breath. Please don't cry, I'm sorry I worried you. I just wanted to get out of the hotel for a while. I thought it'd be fine and I would've been back in plenty of time. I just hit some ice the wrong way and fell badly. I'll be fine, and alright, alright, I'll go see whatever doctor you manage to round up.”

 

“You'd better.” She sniffled. “I need to go call off the search and see if there's anyone who can recommend a doctor. You be good an if Steve tells you to do something to take care of that leg, you do it.”

 

“Okay, okay, sheesh. Slave driver.” By the time they said their goodbyes, Pepper no longer sounded like she was on the verge of crying and Tony was exhausted.

 

Steve brought him over a steaming bowl of...gruel. This was gruel. Tony peered down into the bowl and then up at Steve, skepticism clear on his face. “You expect me to eat this?”

 

* * * * *

 

“Yes, yes I do.” Steve frowned. There was nothing wrong with oatmeal for breakfast. He made it with whole milk and flavored it with cinnamon and nutmeg and a dash of maple syrup. Healthy and sweet in equal measure, it was a good hot breakfast with a good caloric intake for these colder months. He glanced over at Bucky, but the dog was snoozing by the fire and offered no explanation.

 

“Is this a punishment? Wait, no, you're eating the same thing. So not a punishment. Were you in prison? Were you a prison cook and now this is all you know how to make? I feel like I'm a Dickens novel, no really, I'm just waiting for a half starved waif to appear and say 'please sir, may I have some more?'”

 

Steve's frown deepened. “Oatmeal is good for you, and besides, you haven't even tried it yet.” He took a large bite of his own as encouragement and it was just as deliciously warm and comforting as he had anticipated.

 

Tony prodded at his, stirring it with a visible level of un-enthusiasm. Gathering a tiny morsel onto the very tip of his spoon, he hesitantly licked at it, scrunching his face up like a child. After the first taste, he paused and took a larger lick of the spoon before digging in with sudden gusto. “You didn't say it was sweet.”

 

Steve sighed and shook his head. “You decided you didn't like it without even trying it.”

 

Tony waved the hand not shoveling food in a dismissive gesture. Steve finished his own breakfast fairly quickly and dumped the bowl in the sink. With the snow still falling outside, there wasn't much for him to do besides sit around the cabin and keep Tony entertained. Before he could start trying to think of ways to fill their time though, he really needed to get a better look at Tony's injured knee.

 

He waited until Tony had finished off his breakfast and then gave a further twenty minutes or so as he puttered around, tidying up and gathering the first aid supplies he would need. Tony fiddled with his phone and while he did glance up every now and then, he didn't seem overly concerned with what Steve was up to. If he was being honest, Steve was putting off dealing with the injury in a completely selfish way. This was going to be uncomfortable for Tony and Steve didn't want to be the cause of that, despite the necessity.

 

The creeping feeling of guilt, and the worry that the lack of even the basic first aid Steve could supply would only make things worse down the road finally forced him into action. Picking up the small pile of supplies he'd assembled, he stepped over Bucky to sit with his back to the fire place.

 

“I need to take a look at your knee.” Tony winced and Steve sighed, shaking his head slightly, “Yeah, it's not going to be a very pleasant experience for either of us. Hopefully we can get the swelling under control and that will help the orthopedic surgeon when we can get you back down the mountain.”

 

Tony sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, but as a fair warning, don't take any cursing personally.”

 

Steve chuckled. “So long as you don't take a swing at me, I think we'll be fine.”

 

“No promises.”

 

 

* * * * *

 

Throwing the blankets back, Tony got the first real look at his knee since he fell. There was a lot of bruising and more swelling than he had expected. He glanced at Steve but the other man seemed unsurprised.

 

“Well, I thought you might have gotten away with a partial tear but with the amount of swelling that you've got, I'm guessing there's some bleeding in the knee joint, and from what I remember that suggests that it's a more serious tear. We'll just put a wrap on it to try and stabilize things, and then get some ice on it for about twenty minutes every couple of hours and that'll have to do for now.”

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Tony blurted.

 

Steve froze, half twisted around towards his first aid supplies and staring at Tony in open astonishment. “What?”

 

Tony could feel his cheeks burning. Great, his socially inept science nerd side that was always lurking just under the surface just _had_ to rear its head in front of Steve. _Gorgeous_ Steve who Tony was not, under any circumstances, going to continue interacting with once this whole situation was over.

 

“It's just, you don't even know me. I'm just some moron who was out skiing at the worst possible time. You didn't have to come save me. Heck, you almost got caught in the storm because you did. So, why did you?”

 

Steve fiddled with the edge of the compression wrap as he thought for a moment. “Well,” he said slowly, smiling shyly up at Tony from under his eye lashes, “my dog seems to like you. And Bucky's a pretty good judge of character. He wouldn't have let you freeze to death, if I hadn't gone he'd have probably dragged you home in his teeth. So really, it's not me you need to thank. And since I don't want all his hard work to go to waste, I might as well help you out now that you're here, right?”

 

Tony blinked at him. He had been rescued by a crazy person. Officially a member of the Cray Cray tribe and he was helpless in this man's home. And there was nothing cute about it.

 

_Nothing._

 

Steve used Tony's momentary distraction to carefully transfer his leg from the pillows onto Steve's thigh. He was careful, and barely jostled it, but the sickening loose feeling of movement where there shouldn't be any was nearly enough to make Tony sick. Steve didn't waste any time at all in wrapping the knee, and once it was back resting on the pillows Tony thought that it did feel a bit better to have the compression wrap on. More stable if nothing else. Steve draped an ice pack over the worst of the swelling and set a kitchen timer for twenty minutes.

 

It was all Tony could do to lie there and catch his breath for a moment. He wasn't usually very accident prone. Sure, the occasional knick or burn here and there in the workshop, but nothing more serious than what a bandaid could handle. He'd definitely never felt anything like the slick feeling of a joint moving in a way it was never meant to. He took deep breaths in through his nose and swallowed carefully. Mercifully, Steve went into the kitchen area to deal the breakfast dishes and Tony had time to collect himself.

 

He was just getting to the point of complaining about being bored when Steve returned. Any lingering feelings of displeasure were instantly forgiven because Steve came bearing coffee. Sweet sweet caffeine and oh, Tony had never been so happy. Well, okay, he probably had, but it had be a _day_ and if he felt like exaggerating then he was allowed to. Mmmmm, coffee. Steve was laughing at him and Tony, right this second, did not care. He inhaled deeply, savoring the rich scent before taking the first sip. Black and rich and almost too hot to drink, it was exactly how Tony loved coffee best and the placebo effect from knowing that his drug of choice would soon be back in his system was a lovely lovely thing.

 

The distraction of coffee, as wonderful as it was, didn't last long though. They were looking at the rest of the day, at the very least, cooped up in what was a very very small cabin. Tony looked around, checking out the interior properly for the first time since he woke up. The ground floor was one big room, the kitchen divided from the main living space by a half wall topped with counter space. There was a small office area in the opposite corner, underneath a lofted bedroom space. The couch and the fire place were the dominant features of the main living area, with bookshelves running along the walls. A small foyer with a tiled floor was on the same wall as the kitchen area. His bedroom in the Malibu house probably had more square footage.

 

Nothing he could see looked like it would be able to hold his attention for an hour, much less the entire day. He didn't want to be ungracious, but he certainly hoped that Steve was planning on some way to pass the time or else this whole sitting around and waiting for the storm to pass thing was going to get really old, really fast.

 

He shifted restlessly. “Can I get up a little bit? I mean, is there even anything to do in here? I can manage a bit of basic stuff on my phone but I'm guessing even Starktech isn't going to have great reception up here, and without an uplink to my main servers there's only so much I can do.”

 

Steve peered around the cabin, as if he was taking his home in for the first time. “Oh, well normally during storms I read, or brush Bucky for a while and try and sleep through as much of it as I can.”

 

“Yeah, that's not going to work for me. I don't sleep that much in my own bed which is the best money can buy, so this whole on-the-floor deal isn't likely to lead there. And besides, I was out for a couple hours, that's more than enough for a few days by my normal standards.”

 

“Tony, that wasn't sleep.” Steve's look is disapproving. “That was unconsciousness. You need sleep to help your body heal and to regain your strength.”

 

Tony pouted and crossed his arms. “I won't be able to sleep, and I'm not brushing your damned dog. Give me something to read before I start trying to tunnel my way out.”

 

Steve sighed, but dutifully headed over to the bookshelf, and so Tony generously decided to over look it.

 

* * * * *

 

Steve was a bad person. He had come to this realization over the course of the night spent tending to the fire he'd laid in the large stone fireplace and watching Tony Stark sleep. The man was a guest in his home and injured besides. Still, Steve couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him. To feel the scratch of that goatee against his face.

 

Bad Steve.

 

As he read off the selection of books on offer, shamefully few and most of them paperbacks picked up from various trips to Goodwill, Steve allowed his mind to wander.

~*~*~*~*~

“ _Oh, hey, better idea. Wow, definitely better idea.”_

 

_He turned to face Tony. “What is it?”_

 

_There was a definite look of hunger in those brown eyes. “Well, I'm wounded here so I think you should come and kiss it better for me. If I'd have known that mountain men were so smoking hot, I'd have come out here years ago. I mean, I noticed the face before, no complaints there, but now that the caffeine to blood ratio is back in balance I'm seeing the whole package there, Steve.”_

 

_Steve felt his cheeks flush. “Tony, what are you talking about?”_

 

“ _Oh come on, cabin in the woods? Where we're snowed in? We've got to keep the fine American tradition of fucking our way through snow storms alive! Get over here and share your delicious body heat with me so we don't get hypothermia or some shit.”_

 

“ _I really don't think that's appropriate. And besides, I don't want to risk damaging your knee more than it is already.”_

 

_Tony huffed out a sigh, with a pout tugging at his expressive mouth. “Fine, if you aren't interested I can deal. I've been rejected before.” Steve felt his shoulders slump in relief, but tensed again as Tony continued. “I'll just have to take care of myself then.”_

 

“ _What?”_

 

“ _You heard me. If you're not going to help, then I'll just lie here and take care of things myself. You don't have to do anything. Heck, you don't even have to watch. Go over and poke that antique desktop of yours, seriously that thing is old as fuck and I'm trying not to look at it because it might ruin masturbation for me forever. Come on, Steve, you want me to heal and do right by my body and whatever other hippy bullshit. Orgasms are always good for the body, endorphins and all that and hey, I might even sleep after like you wanted. Just turn away if you don't want to watch and be kind enough to pass me some tissues when I'm done.”_

 

_Steve stared at Tony, barely able to comprehend what had just been said. Tony seemed to be oblivious to Steve's shock, and had already wriggled his pants and underwear down to his mid thighs. He grimaced slightly as his knee shifted and Steve took an involuntary step forward, hand reaching out slightly to offer help. Tony glanced up at the movement, his gaze burning into Steve from beneath lowered lashes._

 

“ _Changed your mind?”_

 

“ _Oh, uh, no. I just, I thought you might have hurt yourself.”_

 

_Tony smiled at Steve. It was a gentle smile, which felt at odds with the situation.”No, it just felt really gross when I moved. It doesn't really hurt, I can just tell something is wrong.”_

 

“ _Oh, okay then.”_

 

_Tony's smile shifted into a leer. “Sure you don't want to give me a hand? You seem so eager to help and I promise, I would definitely appreciate the assistance.”_

 

_Steve's face felt like it might catch fire. “No.”_

_Tony gave a small shrug and leaned back against his mound of pillows. “Suit yourself.”_

 

_Steve meant to look away. He had even started to turn, foot lifted to take that first step away, but as Tony's hand closed around his cock, teasing and brining himself to full hardness, Steve found himself entranced. He had noticed that Tony' s hands were calloused, mechanic's hands, and had thought about how those callouses might feel, but thinking about it and seeing the undeniable reaction, the hitch of Tony's hips as they gave that little extra friction to sensitive areas, were two entirely different things. He staggered a step back to lean against the bookshelves, and still he did not look away._

 

_Tony stroked himself with a firm, smooth glide, rubbing his thumb over the head with each pass. His left hand played with the skin of his inner thighs, his chest, his balls, wandering and restless, caressing and pinching and Steve could so easily imagine giving nips of teeth against those areas of pale skin. They were both panting for breath as Tony sped up his strokes, the faint smack of flesh a counter point. His eyes locked with Steve's and they were blown dark with desire._

 

“ _Tony...” Steve rasped out, and barely recognized his own voice. “Tony.”_

 

_Hearing his name fall from Steve's lips sent Tony over the edge, his hips thrusting raggedly into the air as his hand gave a few last tight strokes. Cum splattered across his belly if Steve thought he could make it over, he would lick it off himself. There was a long moment of quiet, broken only by the sounds of their breath as Tony gathered himself together. He held out that same calloused hand, smeared with cum and sweat and ----_

 

_~*~*~*~_

 

“Steve?”

 

He cleared his throat and hoped that his blush wasn't noticeable from where Tony was. “Uh, yeah?”

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.”

 

“If you say so.”

 

Steve was a bad, _bad_ man.

 

* * * * *

 

 

It took two days for the storm to clear enough for a transport to get through for Tony. They spent the time reading and playing cards games and being disgustingly domestic. Tony was planning on spending at least two weeks buried up to his elbows in schematics and circuitry when he got home.

 

Pepper, unfortunately, had other plans for him.

 

He barely had a moment to wave goodbye to Steve as he was loaded into the transport. The gorgeous blond half raised a hesitant return wave, and then the helicopter door was slammed shut between them. Tony, very manfully, did not pout about that. Nor did he whine to Pepper during the flight to the best orthopedic surgeon this side of the Rockies about how Steve was perfect and that Tony was never going to be able to find anyone to compare.

 

Okay, he maybe whined a little bit.

 

Time passed, as it generally had and Tony buried himself in physiotherapy and in his work. Stark Industries stock jumped up several points and new inventions were released to rave reviews. Everything was fine, even if Pepper was looking increasingly worried. Things were going great and if he could just get this last glitch to fix itself, he was going to have a new guidance system that was going to revolutionize personal GPS devices.

 

The newly minted system crashed again, in the same spectacular failure that he had thought was finally fixed and behind him, Tony heard the door to the lab swish open.

 

“Whatever it is, I'm not interested. There is nothing I am going to leave this lab for until I hammer out the goddamn kinks in this system. Some coding gremlin is hiding in there and I'm not going to sleep until I hunt the fucker down.”

 

“I can wait.”

 

Tony whipped around so quickly that his chair skittered dangerously close to flying out from under him. “Steve! What're you doing here?”

 

Steve shuffled and smiled that ridiculous toothpaste commercial smile. “Ms. Potts called and said she thought you'd appreciate a visit and I wanted to see how your knee was healing up.” Tony stared, not sure how to react. Steve evidently took it as a bad sign, and started babbling, “And uh, I guess you're doing fine because you're already out of the initial brace and now I've seen you. Um, and I can go, now. If you want. Ms. Potts insisted you wouldn't mind me visiting but if you're busy I can leave or I can come back another time if you want.”

 

Steve was backing away towards the door and that was not an acceptable outcome. Tony leapt to his feet, staggering slightly as his bad leg threatened to buckle. Steve stepped forward as if to catch him and Tony lunged across the remaining distance.

 

Steve's lips were soft and warm and far too still under his own. He started to pull back, disappointed that he'd read things wrong and more disappointed that he'd probably just ruined any chance of Steve wanting to stay in Tony's life, when Steve shivered slightly and returned the kiss. Tony melted against him, a warm glow of triumph rising in his heart.

 

There would be things to figure out, he knew. Steve lived as far from the technology that was Tony's life blood as it was possible to get and they needed to get to know each other outside of emergency situations as well, but for now? For now everything was absolutely perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Podfic

Perfect North is now available as a podfic!

 

[Perfect North MP3](https://archive.org/download/PerfectNorthPodfic/Perfect%20North%20Podfic.mp3)

 

[Alternative download options here.](https://archive.org/details/PerfectNorthPodfic)


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